Thursday, September 14, 2006

Post 4: Technology at Home

In this posting, list all the communication technologies you own. Then discuss (1) the purpose of each technology—i.e., what you use it for; (2) how much time you spend using each technology; (3) what are some of the intended and unintended consequences for you and your lifestyle.

2 comments:

Ko-Jung said...

1. Television
(1) Although the main purpose of the television is to provide information for people with audio and video, the technology of television to me is for entertainment and relaxes purpose. Occasionally, I watch news or absorb new knowledge with the television, but the most of time I don’t want to think or learn when I watch the television. There are also some experiments indicate that people incline to think nothing when they exposure to the images and sound. However, I am a kind of heavy television viewer, even when I use computer or talk on phone, I used to turn on the television and watch the television at the same time.
(2) As a heavy television, mentioned before, I spend a lot of time watching the television when I in my country. I always turn on the television, which placed in my room, as long as I wake up and I would turn down the television only when I have to leave or sleep. Therefore, the time I spend at least 6 hours on the television.
(3) The television can create more topics when I hand out with my friend, because the television provides some kinds of uniform experiences between some specific groups. And the television channels can satisfy me many different needs, for searching information, watching news, imaging traveling, entertainment, relaxing and so on. On the contrary, the television also brings some negative or undesirable effects to me. First, the television can distract my attention and this result in failing to communication whether for television or other thing. If I’m watching the television and talking on phone or searching on internet, I can’t neither relax from the television nor understanding what people are talking about on phone nor searching the information I want on internet. Further, I think the television can divide people from different experiences on television, because the TV stations provide various interesting and subjective channels for different kinds of people who have different purpose watching television. Therefore, the gap and strange between different kinds of people will increase even in family or society.

2. Instant Messenger
(1) The new communication technology of Instant Messenger has been welcomed by a large number of people in the world. The main purpose of the Instant Messenger is to communication with people by words, images, and sound. Besides these main purposes, for me, I can send the documents pictures, music, and some digitalization files to the friend in the list of Instant Messenger. Moreover, the Instant Messenger can be used for cheating, discussion, business even for dating.
(2) As a user of the Instant Messenger, which installed in the computer, I’m also a heavy computer user. I open the Instant Messenger when I open the computer. Thus, if I use the computer for 12 hours, that means I also use the Instant Messenger for the same hours. However, there is one question about the word “use”, usually I open the Instant Messenger but it doesn’t mean that I use it. That is to say this software is standby when you open it, you use it when somebody talks to you or you talk to somebody.
(3) For me, the Instant Messenger have brought so many convince for me, not only it cost nothing but also I can communication with people with the way I want whether in words, sound, or images. Sometimes the Instant Messenger provides alternative way instead of talking people fact to face or on phone and sending or receiving mail. Although the Instant Messenger prepares another way for communication, it also makes me lose some abilities to communicate with people face to face when I depend on this software too much. Also, communication mediating by this software can makes me feel aloof, because I can feel the emotion by people when I communicate with them. Accordingly, I will feel anxious or apart when I didn’t connect the internet and open the Instant Messenger.

Av DG said...

In the Philippines I had more communication technologies which I appreciate having to unload when I came here. I presently have four major communication products that I use – cellular phone, a telephone, a computer and the Internet.

Cellular Phone

I love my cellular phone in that it not only keeps me connected with family and friends, it also serves as my alarm clock, my datebook and my calculator at times. There’s even a function in it that lets you convert certain units of measurement and currencies (which helped me when I wanted to check how much textbooks were in my country’s curency). One other thing that I appreciated about my cellphone is that it has a World Clock program that lets me see the time in Ames, New York and the Philippines as well as a number of other cities.

I spend about 1 hour per week on the cellphone and send about 5-10 text messages a day to family back home. The function on my phone that I most often use is the planner, I look at it several times a day and type my meetings and to-do list into it as well.

I hate my cellphone in that it can be so much of an intrusion (and an embarassment) when I forget to turn the ringer off during class. People also think that just because they have my number they can call me anytime they like and that can be annoying. It also has the habit of dying on me (the croak that low battery tells you) just when I need to make an important call so the dependence on recharging can be a drawback. There is also a lot of unsolicited messages on the cellphone from the networks. These are ads, news, even jokes and other supposedly inspiring messages that just fail to inspre you on a given day.

Telephone

I had to have a telephone installed in my apartment to save up on the costs of long-distance phone calls to my country using my cellphone. With the telephone I could use pre-paid phone cards to call home and that saves me a lot. Also I found that it’s easier (on my peace of mind) to give my home phone than my mobile to people I am not yet very close to. The utility companies also prefer this method. What I don’t like about it is that strangers can call you and ask for a couple of minutes (which may turn into three or five, even ten!) to ask you some questions. I had to tell people a few times that I was in so much hurry I was in danger of missing a class if I don’t hang up. These people can be very insistent and bothersome at times.

Computer

I spent most of my life in the digital age and since my mom taught me how to type my grade school essay on her computer using the Word Star program, I have been hooked. I use it for almost anything to do with school and non-school: papers, computations, keeping track of finances (with the spreadsheet function), and to play games. It has helped me process data so much faster and I am able to turn in really clean and formal-looking papers. I don’t want to leave my papers to my less than perfect handwriting. What I didn’t bargain on the computer is the cost of the software, which increases every year and the fact that viruses are always out there which means one has to invest in quality (and updated) virus protection all the time. Sometimes, I also feel I have become so dependent on the computer that I find it very difficult to write something from scratch faced with a blank piece of paper than a blank screen. I can imagine what this dependence would do to my creativity if I have to write something and there’s no computer in sight.

Internet

I love the Internet for its wealth of functions, its vast array of services to choose from, the plethora of information to answer my myriad questions. I use it for research, for communication (email and chat) and for entertainment. I have a small notebook where I list words, concepts, things that professors, friends and classmates talk about and I have never heard about or know too little about. Googling has been a very helpful function of the Internet to me especially in finding what these ‘unknowns’ are. I also email, chat with friends and even call their computers via the many messaging software online. I also play arcade games and engage in online raids and wars via the Internet. I also use the Internet for banking needs such as paying bils and making sure I don’t issue overdraft checks.

I check my email at least 5 times a day, 3 times at night though I have to admit I answer emails less seldom than I receive them. I chat during evenings and on weekends when I also play MMORPG (massive multi-player online role playing games), which I’m not very good at. I do research almost everyday and I check my online bank account weekly.

I hate the Internet for almost the same reasons I love it. Maybe dislike is a better word. I find that I would sometimes be too dependent on what my online research yields that I would rather hunt virtually and wandering up and down the tiers of Parks Library can be overwhelming. This is not a very good habit which is compounded by the ease of online research. I also acknowledge the abundance of grey literature on the net that many mistakenly take for authoritative ones and that is a very undesirable consequece especially if we make the next mistake of submitting it to a meticulous professor.

The Internet can also be a harbinger of viruses, trojans and bugs that enter our computers via emails. This is another undesirable consequence which means we have to be on guard all the time and buy more virus protection, more cash down the drain. I also receive a lot of unwanted, unsolicited junk mail – anything from advertisements to announcements which I don’t really find the need for. This is also true with chatting, sometimes I have to keep myself in invisible mode just so I avoid having to chat with people I don’t like or I’m not in the mood to talk to. This makes me feel a little guilty knowing that they just want to talk because we’re friends or they miss me. The emotional effect of chosen invisibility. Haha.